How Broken Families Rob Children of their Future Prosperity

Patrick S. Fagan

Much of the debate about the growing gap between rich and poor in America focuses on
the changing job force, the cost of living, and the tax and regulatory structure that
hamstrings businesses and employees. But analysis of the social science literature
demonstrates that the root cause of poverty and income disparity is linked undeniably to
the presence or absence of marriage. Broken families earn less and experience lower
levels of educational achievement. Worse, they pass the prospect of meager incomes and
family instability on to their children, making the effects intergenerational.